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very now and then, Rudy Penner will drop the phrase
“the way we do things” in conversation about his
company’s latest building project.

In his list of go-to expressions, it’s shorthand for the “CIC
way of doing things”, and Penner – President of Winnipeg-
based construction firm CIC Inc. – smiles when he’s pressed
for details.

“Well, there’s really no secret,” says Penner, “but one of the
challenges in an office environment – because a lot of what The Forks offices
we do is work in existing tenant spaces – is to keep things
‘undisturbed.’ So a key thing for the guys to remember is:
You’ve got to be clean. It’s not a construction site, per se. BEGINNINGS
This is where people work out of. You’ve got to keep it as
clean as you can.” Penner has the capacity to dispense even the most pointed
advice with courtesy and good manners. Not long ago, he
“As silly as that sounds, a lot of other companies don’t remembers being a young guy in the construction world
understand that. They don’t keep that in mind, and that’s himself.
when people get upset with them.”
A lifelong Winnipegger, Penner grew up in North Kildonan
It’s straightforward but sage advice, and a conversation and has been involved in some facet of construction and
with Penner will yield about a dozen such nuggets. Keep millwork since his early teens. “My dad was a cabinet maker
the tenant’s space clean. Listen – really listen – to what and I helped him out after school—I did a lot of that work
customers are saying, (and what they’re not saying). Focus through junior high and high school.”
on what you do best. Your work is a reflection of how much
you care. His parents, Penner says, insisted that he “graduate
with something” from the post secondary world, and he
He’s careful with his words, and has the ability to weave eventually settled on a drafting and estimating diploma from
helpful advice into conversations without being pretentious, Red River College, after which he went into the millwork
or preachy. business.

Indeed, Penner’s established himself as a crafty veteran “I worked for a company called Tarik Woodworking for
on this scene – a drafter and estimator by training, who a couple of years, and then from there I went to Quality
co-founded and incorporated CIC (Commercial Interior Design & Millwork, and worked as an estimator for about 5
Contractors) 22 years ago. That makes him something of a years.”
senior statesman in the contractor world. And despite his
modesty and unassuming nature, he’s at least somewhat Through his work with Quality Design, Penner met
embraced that role, offering some friendly advice for the Art Schroeder as well as Art’s father, who was running a
next generation as well. construction company called Advance Interiors. The elder
Schroeder was hoping to soon retire.
“Trades-wise—not to be negative, but I think the younger
kids that are getting into it, they need to focus more,” he Penner, who had already begun looking for his own
opines. “There’s a lot of good kids that are coming in, but business at the time, and the younger Schroeder had an
a lot of them are hooked on their cell phones. And I don’t opportunity to utilize some existing knowledge, contacts,
think it’s just in construction; I think it’s everywhere.” and a working business model. The two incorporated CIC
in 1995, and had skilled labourers at the ready.
Can this be remedied? No quick fix there, Penner concedes.
He also recognizes the need for companies to constantly “Their (Advance Interiors’) background, was exactly what
“retool” and embrace the technological advances in the we do now – commercial interior contracting,” says Penner.
industry, cellphones and ‘apps’ included. But on occasion “We focused on the commercial work downtown, same
he admits to offering a gentle reminder to “Just put your as we do today. They had some previous contacts – with
phone away. We need you to focus,” he’ll say, with a smile, property managers - still from the old days. So we had a
of course. bit of a leg up from that end; we knew some people.”

BOMA MANITOBA INSIDER | ISSUE 8 | WINTER 2017/18 19